Category: president

I hope everyone is ready for warmer days! Spring is here and the plants are starting to bloom.

Below are a few updates that I wanted to share with everyone.

The Browning Creek Board of Directors meet Tuesday, March 6th. Within the next few days, I will have our communications committee post on our website the minutes from the January Board meeting, now that they have been approved. I will also make sure we get the financial statements posted as well. The Board took up the following items during the meeting:

Approved our 2018 budget which will be mailed to everyone within a week.

Approved a new contract for Ware Landscaping to continue taking care of Browning Creek.

Addressed and approved several items concerning the culvert issue on Browning Creek Rd. I will send a separate message next week on our short and long term plan to address the issue.

Approved pressing charges against anyone who is caught poaching our fish. I will also send a separate message about this next week.

Approved adding a new key pad on Robinson Road at the east gate entrance.

Approved refinancing the mortgage on the 44 acres we own at the front of Browning Creek.

Please don’t forget our annual meeting will be Saturday, April 7th at 10:00 AM. You will receive a packet of information in the mail next week about the meeting. I encourage everyone to attend and get an overview of all the changes we have made over the past year.

We have four community members, Mark Jackson, Carlton Polk, Les Lindley and Benjamin Good that have agreed to serve on the board. Their names will be brought forward for nomination at the annual meeting. Of course, we will also ask all in attendance at the annual meeting if there are any additional nominations. Many thanks to Mark, Carlton, Les and Benjamin for serving!

We have done a lot of work to North Estates Road trying to get it back in shape. We also added more rock to one of the large culverts on the north end of the lake. We are also adding a “Dead End” sign at the beginning of the road.

Again, I encourage everyone to attend the annual Meeting on April 7th. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about Browning Creek, please feel free to email me directly at kpm137@msstate.edu or by phone at (662)803-6200.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas holiday! Below are a few updates that I wanted to share with everyone.

During the April 2017 annual meeting, I presented everyone in attendance with a budget for the year. That budget estimated that on December 31, 2017 we would have $2.99 in our operating account. However, after making some fundamental changes to the management of our community over the past year, I am pleased to announce we ended the year with $27,565 in our operating account. I will go into more detail about this positive cash position during the April 2018 annual meeting.

Our Annual meeting will be on Saturday, April 7, 2018. Within the next month I will mail everyone some important information about the meeting. I encourage everyone to attend and participate in the management of our community.

There are several current Browning Creek board members (myself included) that have decided to step off the board. This is an opportunity for our community to get some fresh ideas and new points of view on the board. If you are interested in serving on the board, please let me know by email at kpm137@msstate.edu on or before February 15th.

The November and December financial statements for Browning Creek and the Retreats are on our website. We have also added the minutes from the November Board of Directors meeting to the website. As we continue our full disclosure to everyone, we have also added the Browning Creek Neighborhood Utility Services Inc. (sewerage) financial statements to the website and the bi-laws as well.

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about Browning Creek, please feel free to email me directly at kpm137@msstate.edu or by phone at (662)803-6200. Again, I encourage everyone to consider serving on the Browning Creek Board of Directors. I believe Browning Creek is moving in a positive direction and this is your opportunity to help!

I cannot believe summer is almost over, but soon the leaves will start turning color here in Browning Creek! I have several updates to share with everyone as we continue to achieve our goals and follow the business plan that was discussed during the annual meeting. Below are my updates:

We have been working hard to give Browning Creek association members the ability to pay their assessments and road fund payments online. We have the banking merchant setup, but we are still working on the website. I’m hoping within the next week or two we will have it finalized. I will be sure to send a separate email to everyone once its up and running on our website.

We have upgraded the computer CPU and memory for the system that runs the gate. This computer has a database of everyone that has fobs, remotes, and access codes to our gates. Upgrading the system has two advantages. First, with the new CPU we do not need a phone line at each gate. Therefore, we will see some cost savings once we go from three phone lines down to one. Second, the memory on the gate computer has a database of everyone that has a fob, remote, or access code. I believe it has been many years since this database has been cleaned up and because of that we currently have many people in it who no longer live in Browning Creek. Therefore, it is important that we clean up the database and remove the access for those individuals that no longer live in our community. Within the next few weeks, we will send each of you a detailed letter informing you of how we are going to clean up the database and issue new fobs, remotes and access codes.

As I promised in an earlier message, we have posted the financial statements for Browning Creek on the secure side of our website. There are two files to review. One is for Browning Creek and the other is for the retreats. Both files have a balance sheet and the budgeted income/expenses vs. actual. Currently, we have the June month end statements for everyone to review. Once the Board meets at the end of September and reviews/approves the July and August statements, I will post them.

All of the committees that were formed to contribute toward our goals have been meeting. Those committees include the social/communication, infrastructure, finance and legal committees. If you are interested in joining a committee, please let me know.

For those of you that work in your yard, I’m sure you’ve noticed we lost access to the burn pile across the street from the boat launch. The Board approved a new burn pile location for members of Browning Creek only. As you are coming into the community on the main road, you will see the first pond on the left. To the north of that pond is an area we have cleared and put down rocks and railroad ties. We added a sign on the street with directions about the burn pile. Based on where we put the burn pile, it cannot be seen from the street.

I spoke with our attorney concerning the case against Slade Kracker. I am pleased to announce that last week the judge sided with Browning Creek in the case. Mr. Kracker will not be allowed to use one of his lots with Browning Creek to put a road on it to gain access to property that is not part of Browning Creek. Furthermore, the judge has ordered Mr. Kracker to “remove the roadway/access and restore the property to its former condition”.

Finally, we have several new homes being built and other existing homes changing hands. We also have several lots that have been sold over the past few months. With so many new families moving in, I’ve noticed a lot more children in the neighborhood, which is a good thing! I would like to encourage everyone to please watch your speed while driving in Browning Creek. The posted speed limit is 25 MPH. Let’s all work together and keep our community safe for the kids and adults that are on the streets. I would also encourage you to get out and meet all our new neighbors!

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about Browning Creek, please feel free to email me directly at kpm137@msstate.edu or by phone at (662) 803-6200.

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer here in Browning Creek. Here are a few updates on Browning Creek that I wanted to share with everyone:

We had several neighbors come together to help with our beach at the Pavilion. Some neighbors donated money for sand and other donated their time to help get the sand spread. It looks GREAT, and I want to personally thank everyone that helped! It’s great to know that we can get things done when we work together.

We have a new website!! www.browningcreek.net We are working to create an online payment option so that we can allow association members to pay their assessments.

Our conversion to TE Lott, our new managing agent, has gone well. Everyone should have received their assessment statements by now. If you have any questions about your statement, please let me know. We worked VERY hard to verify that all of the charges were correct before sending out the statements.

Mr. Ware completed his first month of service as the landscaper and I have heard only good things. We have a new work-order-authorization system in place with Mr. Ware to ensure that the work being done has been authorized based on the budget that was approved by the Browning Creek Board. This has helped us control our spending and helped verify what work is being done.

Now that we have a full month behind working with TE Lott, my next action item is to put together a review of the financial statements and make them available to everyone at the end of each month. The finance committee has met once and we are scheduled to meet again next week. During that meeting we will discuss the best way to make this information available to everyone.

We have a Browning Creek Board meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, July 18th at 6:00. If anyone is interested in attending, please let me know so I can verify if we have enough room.

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about anything pertaining to Browning Creek or the Board, please feel free to email me directly at kpm137@msstate.edu or by phone at (662) 803-6200. I am very accessible and willing to meet with anyone.

As always, I am honored to serve as your president, and I look forward to seeing you around the neighborhood!

Browning Creek Association Members
I certainly hope everyone is enjoying their spring here in Browning Creek! One of the goals discussed at the annual meeting was to facilitate better communications between the Browning Creek Board of Directors (Board) and the association members. Therefore, I thought it would be appropriate to send a monthly letter to everyone about where we are as a community.
The Browning Creek business plan that was developed this spring and discussed at the annual meeting outlined several goals. I have the following to report on some of those goals:

Goal: Test the market for a new Managing Agent

Current Status – I am pleased to announce that the Board has approved and contracted with the accounting firm, T.E. Lott to manage all the associations financial/accounting records functions. T.E. Lott will take over for Ridgeway Lane Associates beginning June 1, 2017. Within the next few weeks, you will receive an official letter in the mail detailing the changes over to T.E. Lott and where assessments must be sent.

Goal: Monitor the monthly commitments and expenditures versus the budget.

Current Status – After careful analysis of the liability and the direct/indirect cost associated with having two people employed by Browning Creek, the Board has approved and contracted with Ware Landscaping to service all of the association’s landscaping needs. Furthermore, Ware Landscaping will also take care of the Pavilion and basic road maintenance. Ware Landscaping will take over effective June 1, 2017.

The site manager’s scope of work has been refined based on the changes with Ware Landscaping.

Current Status – I have been reviewing the financial statements at the end of each month and reporting back to the Board any issues that are found. A new finance committee finance was formed and met for the first time on May 8, 2017. This committee will be reviewing the financial statements on a monthly basis and reporting back to Board their findings.

To control expenditures, the Board approved a “Work Order Authorization” procedure form whereby all work performed must be approved in advance. This will help control cost and provide the necessary approvals to ensure we are staying within our budget.

The Board was notified that we had two outstanding bills for 2016 that were paid in 2017. The Board made adjustments to the budget for 2017 to cover those 2016 expenses, and we received assurances from our current managing agent that all expenses for 2016 have been accounted for as the date of this message.

Goal: Take steps during second quarter to enhance communications with owners

Current Status – The Special Finance & Management Committee is currently working on a new Website for the association that will include a secure page for the posting of important messages for association members.

Current Status – After the next Board meeting (May 16, 2017), I will post to the Website an overview of the Board meeting minutes for everyone to review.

The Board and the Special Finance & Management Committee has done a great deal of work since February to move our association in a new and positive direction. While trying to achieve our goals, I certainly welcome any suggestions or input anyone might have as we continue to progress forward.

Our next Board meeting with Tuesday, May 16, 2017. Anyone from the association is welcome to attend, providing we have the space. If you would like to attend the meeting, please let me know by Friday, May 12th so that we know how many people to prepare for.

Finally, if you have any questions, concerns or comments about anything pertaining to Browning Creek or the Board please feel free to email me directly at kpm137@msstate.edu or by phone at (662)-803-6200. I am very accessible and willing to meet with anyone.
Thanks for your continued support of Browning Creek and the Board!